Answer The correct answer is c, “There is something wrong
with the security in the parking garage.” How can you
tell that this is the main idea? For one thing, it’s the only
one of the three choices general enough to serve as a
“net” for the paragraph; choice a is implied only in the
first sentence; and choice b isn’t mentioned at all. In
addition, each sentence on its own suggests that secu-
rity in the parking garage has not been working prop-
erly. Furthermore, the word “yet” indicates that there
is a conflict between the events that have taken place
and the duties of the security officers.
Practice Passage 2 Now examine the following statement that a neighbor
wrote about Mr. Miller, who owned one of the cars that
was vandalized in the parking garage:
Well, Mr. Miller’s a pretty carefree person. I’ve bor-
rowed his car on several occasions, and a few times,
I’ve found the doors unlocked when I arrived at the
garage. He often forgets things, too, like exactly
where he parked the car on a particular day or where
he put his keys. One time, I found him wandering
around the garage looking for his keys, which he
thought he dropped on the way to the car, and it
turned out the car door was unlocked anyway.
Sometimes, I wonder how he remembers his
address, let alone to take care of his car.
2. What is Mr. Miller’s neighbor suggesting?
a. Mr. Miller forgets everything.
b. Mr. Miller may have left his car door unlocked
the day the radio was stolen.
c. Mr. Miller is too carefree for his own good.
Answer You can attack the question this way: Which of these
three statements do the sentences in the neighbor’s
statement support? Try a process of elimination. Do all
of the sentences support choice a? If not, cross a out. Do
all of the sentences support choice b? Choice c?
